Belated Quote of the Week

I agree that sex work, and sex workers, provoke expressions of misogyny that might otherwise be hidden. Well done, people who make this argument! You’ve correctly identified a definitely-existing strand of visible misogyny. As we’ve established, many things ‘provoke’ (read: provide a premise for) misogyny, because we live in a misogynist culture, constantly swarming with dickheads. If you think sex work is unique in that we should “tackle misogyny” by getting rid of the behaviour that ‘provokes’ it, rather than say by getting rid of misogyny itself, you are endorsing and firming up the worldview of people who hate sex working women – and by extension, women in general. You’re saying that misogyny against sex workers is unavoidable, and by implication therefore a little bit understandable.

Provokes (read provides a premise for) is the golden nugget in this for me. Misogynists and the culture of misogyny is what needs to be made completely unacceptable. There is no understandable premise for the hatred of women. The premise is constantly manipulated and changes, all the while hypocritically shoving the image of women as whores anyway, whether they give it or sell it. In fact, the devision of gender is a deceitful fabrication that keeps us from getting anywhere as human beings.
Great blog Suzy.

So, my question is, is it inherently misogynistic to pay for sexual services? Does the person paying for these services, by default, commit an objectifying act that is harmful to women in a broader sense? And if so, how is the act of purchasing these services (be it a lap dance, PSE, or anything in between) different from the act of providing them, assuming the provider is working voluntarily?